It will not just be Bob Dudley from BP who will be aghast at the news that Exxon and Rosneft have signed a historical deal to develop Arctic oil reserves, but many people from Alaska too. Just months after BP failed in a bid to form a strategic alliance with Rosneft, ExxonMobil has outsmarted its...Continue reading 'Exxon Beats BP to Arctic Prize'.

A renewed push for permits by oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico is being overshadowed by a row over whether BP’s capped Macondo well is actually leaking oil. If the well is somehow still leaking this would have major ramifications for BP, but also the wider industry that is gearing up for further drilling...Continue reading '“Very Close Match” Between New Spill And BP’s Well'.

Numerous recent polls reveal that the American people believe that Congress is more responsive to their campaign donors than their own constituents. In addition, Americans of all affiliations clearly favor ending oil industry handouts. The question is, whose side is Fred Upton on: the American people’s or Big Oil’s? Rep. Upton is Big Oil’s biggest...Continue reading 'Fred Upton: Big Oil’s Superman in SuperCongress'.

Eight of the twelve members of the newly-named Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction have voted in the last two years to allow oil companies to keep more than $4 billion annually in taxpayer subsidies in place. All six Republicans have consistently voted to preserve oil industry handouts. Oil industry lobbyists have made maintaining these handouts...Continue reading 'Oil Money and the “SuperCongress”'.

A recent report by the World Economic Forum on the future of the gas markets has highlighted the revolution that is currently happening in this sector. The report started by saying: “What a difference a few years can make in one of the world’s major energy markets. Advances in the production of unconventional gas –...Continue reading 'Will Europe Heed Warnings over Fracking?'.

Over the last few months I have been working with Friends of the Earth Europe looking at the extensive lobbying by the Canadian government over the tar sands in Europe. What we uncovered is that over the last two years we have seen a concerted lobbying campaign by the Canadian and Albertan governments to undermine...Continue reading 'Canada’s “Dirty Lobby Diary” Exposed'.

Often in the 24 hour news world, stories are reported at such a rate that no one ever takes a step back to see if they are joined up. No one ever seems to ask searching questions to see if two different stories are connected and therefore what are the consequences of that connection. You...Continue reading 'From the Delta to the Sea'.

Ever get tired of those cheezy ads from oil companies or really fired up over ‘independent’ research that asserts that everything you thought was great about alternative enery sources turns out to be a myth? Well Erik Curren over at Transition Voice sums it up nicely on this cross-post. Thanks Erik… Every time I’m tempted...Continue reading 'Jilted by another smooth-talking oilman'.

The history of Shell in Nigeria is one of contempt for the locals, of systematic and chronic pollution and of a vortex of violence in which thousands have been killed, or tortured. The country remains a grubby stain on Shell’s iconic logo. The company has never apologised for its role in the death of Ken...Continue reading '“The news that Shell accepts liability will be greeted with joy”'.